The World’s Most Amazing Two-Week Trips

I’m currently in Nepal, where I just finished a 30-mile, five-day trek through the Himalayas. After a couple days in the lakeside city of Pokhara, where I’m recuperating, I’ll head to Chitwan National Park to see elephants and, hopefully, tigers. By the time I leave next Friday, I’ll have also explored the national capital of Kathmandu and the historical city of Bhaktapur.

And I’ll have spent just two weeks here.

My point in bringing all this up is not to brag, but rather to point out that you don’t need a ton of vacation time to have an amazing adventure. In fact, none of the trips I’m about to highlight take more than two weeks to complete.

Ethiopia’s Door to Hell

You can take many short, amazing trips to Africa—if you’ve got thousands of dollars to shell out for a safari, that is. If you want to head to the Dark Continent independently, however, and you’ve got just two weeks to spare, Ethiopia is where you should head.

Back in Time in Myanmar

I was lucky enough to visit Myanmar back in 2010, before the once-reclusive country actively started courting tourists. It was without a doubt the most otherworldly experience I’ve had to this day, including the near-death food poisoning that led me to cut that particular short trip.

Thankfully, when I returned to Myanmar in early 2016, food safety standards were much, much higher. While it’s true that increased openness with the West has made Myanmar feel slightly less alien, treasures such as the Mergui Archipelago, the U-Bein Bridge in Amarapura and the 2,000 temples of Bagan are unlike anywhere else on Earth, let alone in Southeast Asia, and you can see them all with just two weeks of vacation time.

A Winter (or Summer) Road Trip Around Iceland

If you’ve been reading the site for a while, you probably remember my beautiful—but terrifying—winter road trip around Iceland. From beaches covered in ice, to majestic waterfalls—and, of course, the Northern Lights—my adventure around Iceland’s perimeter was slow-going (the roads aren’t de-iced outside of the capital) but still ended up taking under two weeks.

Don’t have vacation time in winter, or don’t want to use it then? Although you’re unlikely to see the aurora dance across the sky during summer, good road conditions mean you’ll be able to cover more ground and spend more time outside (which is the entire point of traveling in Iceland, after all!).

The Best (And Best-Kept Secrets) of Brazil

Brazil is a massive country, so when I say that you can see the best of it in two weeks, I’m not saying the country is only worth that much of your time. Indeed, my Brazil itinerary is for three weeks, and even that only scratches the surface of all there is to discover here.

On the other hand, I find it pretty remarkable that you can explore cities like Rio de Janeiro, Salvador and São Paulo, as well as exploring natural wonders like Iguazu Falls and the captivating—and, to foreigners, mostly unknown—Lençóis Maranhenses sand dunes, all without draining your PTO account.

The Pearl of Asia

I probably shouldn’t use the title “Pearl of Asia” to describe Sri Lanka, although this country of tea fields, sprawling temples and friendly elephants is definitely a rare find. I’ve seen this title ascribed to no less than a dozen cities and countries which, while all deserving of it in their own right, can’t really hold a candle to Sri Lanka.

Europe’s Next Big Thing

For most people (and, I’m ashamed to admit, most of my fellow Americans), mention of the Balkan countries elicits memories of war, genocide and Hillary Clinton landing under sniper fire. In fact, more than 20 years after the war ended, the main danger of visiting the Balkan countries is that you’ll want to stay long past the departure of your flight.

My suggestions for two weeks in the Balkans center on the incredible countries of Bosnia and Serbia, with some time along the coast of Croatia (and, if you have time, Montenegro) for good measure. I have a feeling you’re going to be taking multiple two-week trips to this part of the world, particularly if you do so before its inevitable rise as Europe’s next major tourism draw.

Japan in Any Season

Like I did for Brazil, I made a Japan itinerary that spans three weeks. Thanks to how quickly you can explore Japan via Shinkansen high-speed train, however, two weeks is all you need to have an unforgettable experience in what is probably, at this moment, my favorite country in the world.

Great Post! Jordan is also prefect for a 2-week trip. Back in 2014 we spent about 5 days scuba diving in Aqaba and then made our way up to Wadi Rum and Petra. After that we stayed in Amman for a few days and took day trips to the Dead Sea and Madaba. It was a great trip!